A blog dedicated to striving for improvement without getting crazy.

Tag Archives: eating disorders

I can’t lie, I am a HUGE fan of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It’s unlike any other fashion show I’ve seen – it’s so much FUN! Fun fashion (love those wings!), fun models, and fun performers. I am SO looking forward to this year’s artists: Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber. (Yes, I love Justin Bieber. No shame. That little nugget is talented!)

On the other hand, it is a showcase of the high standards our society has for the female figure and the extreme measures that some of the models take in order to look “runway-ready.” Adriana Lima came under fire last year for her pre-VS Show diet and fitness routine, which consists of two-a-day workouts, no solid food for nine days leading up to the show, and no liquids for the last 12 hours before the show. She subsequently defended her routine by saying her heavy workouts and diet aren’t things she does regularly or long-term.

According to People Magazine, comments on the pic ranged from “appreciative to concerned.” Personally, I’m more concerned on the concerned side. Granted, it is Ms. Swanepoel’s body and hers to share with the world (as she has chosen to do), but one has to wonder about what kind of standards she holds for her body and where she’s getting them from.

I hope that everyone watching the show – women of all ages and men alike – keep in mind that these are models, and that their bodies are not necessarily representative of the female population, nor are they realistic for most of us. Beyond that, the extreme measures that (nearly) all models – fashion, fitness, etc. – are not sustainable, or even healthy.

In all honesty, I sometimes struggle to grasp this idea. While I realize that what we see in photos and on TV is edited, photoshopped, and otherwise not representative of reality, I do think about how much better I’d look if I didn’t have love handles, if the skin on my elbows wasn’t so wrinkly, if my tummy didn’t have that little pooch… The list goes on and on.

Then I return to what I was talking about on Sunday night: that I am enough.

I remember that I should be the one dictating the standards I hold for my body, not social pressure. I love this image from Nike, which has helped me remember to love my body for what it can do, instead of tearing it down for not conforming to an unrealistic standard.